University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
5-17 (1-10)
Tulane
16-7 (7-4)
Comeback Bid Falls Just Shy Against Tulane
2/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
HOUSTON â€" Freshman guard Serithia Hawkins scored 12 points and collected 11 rebounds for her fourth career double-double, but the Cougars fell just short of a comeback bid losing to Tulane 59-56 inside Hofheinz Pavilion, on Saturday.
"We started the game with good energy, but when Marche' Amerson picked up those two fouls it took the life out of us knowing that she had to sit until the second half," head coach Ronald Hughey said. "We struggled against the zone moving the ball and making shots. We had good shots and good looks. Defensively, you will break down if you have to keep guarding so much without having opportunities to be on offense and to get good shots."
After a sluggish first quarter for each team, the Cougars trailed 10-7 heading into the second period. Behind Hawkins' four points and six rebounds in the first quarter. Tulane would open the second frame on a 9-0 run and cruised into the second quarter with a 25-16 lead.
The Green Wave picked up where they left off to begin the second half, and put together an 8-0 run coming out of the locker room. However, down by 17 points just two minutes into the half, the Cougars switched to a full-court press and began their run.
"Coming out in the second half, our plan was to press them as much as possible, but we just couldn't do that for the entire game," Hughey said "We wanted to be able to push through. In the coach's mind, I'm thinking that we would be down seven, eight, maybe six, or tie it and then press them and be able to push us over and not be down by 17, using that so that we can try to come back. That was the difference in the game. They made some big shots at the times that they needed to make them. We capitalized on the opportunities that we had. I'm excited for them and where we can go. This is our seventh or eighth game that we have lost by three or less points. So we are right there, but we just have to make some winning plays to win games."
THE BASICS
Score: Tulane 59, Houston 56
Records: Houston 5-17 (1-10), Tulane 16-7 (7-4)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016
Location: Houston, Texas (Hofheinz Pavilion)
TURNING POINT
Houston used a 40-point second half to claw their way back into the game and shot 46.9 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. With just 44 seconds to play in the game, senior Alecia Smith buried a 3-point bucket to cut the lead to three for the first time since the start of the second quarter at 55-52. However, just 22 seconds later, Kolby Morgan connected on a three of her own to give Tulane the lead for good.
TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Freshman guard Serithia Hawkins collected her fourth career double-double after scoring 12 points and collecting 11 rebounds. Hawkins pulled down six boards on the offensive glass en route to her fourth 10+ rebounding game of her career. Senior Marche' Amerson followed up her season high in points from Wednesday night with another double-digit performance. Amerson tallied 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting including 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
Tulane: The Green Wave got big contributions from a trio of players. Kolby Morgan led all scorers in the game with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting while Taylor Emery added 11 points and five rebounds. Tierra Jones also scored double-figures for Tulane, dropping 10 points with six rebounds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Cougars won the turnover battle, forcing the Green Wave to commit 19 turnovers while giving away only 16 themselves.
- Off of those 19 turnovers, the Cougars were able to score 20 points, while limiting Tulane to just nine points off turnovers.
- The Cougars outrebounded the Green Wave 34-33 and dominated them on the offensive end. Houston collected 17 offensive rebounds while Tulane collected just nine.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston has a quick turnaround before heading to Tulsa on Wednesday, Feb. 10. The Cougars will then turn around and make up their postponed contest against the Temple Owls on Friday, Feb. 12 in Philadelphia, Pa.
$50 SHASTA PASS NOW AVAILABLE
The Houston Fan Experience Headquarters is proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2015-16 athletic season. For only $50, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Women's Basketball and Softball home games.
The Shasta Pass offers Houston fans a substantial savings as single-game tickets start at $8 for all four sports. Fans can save $126 alone during the Houston fall sports seasons. To purchase a Shasta Pass, CLICK HERE.
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